Toasted Almond And Candied Cherry Ice Cream Recipes

ROMAN CHERRY TART WITH ALMOND CRUST AND ALMOND ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Toast the almonds on a baking sheet about 10 minutes, until they darken slightly and smell nutty. When the nuts have cooled, place them in a food processor with the sugar and pulse to a coarse meal. Add the flour and salt and pulse again to combine. Transfer to a mixing bowl, and pour in the melted butter, almond and vanilla extracts, and 1 tablespoon ice-cold water. Using a wooden spoon, mix until just combined, adding more ice-cold water if necessary to help bring the dough together.
• Use your fingers to press the dough into a buttered 9-inch fluted tart pan, pressing the sides first and then the bottom, to form an even crust. Chill at least an hour, or preferably overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Prick the bottom of the tart shell with a fork, and line it with a few coffee filters opened out, or a piece of parchment paper. Fill the lined tart shell with beans or pie weights, and bake 20 minutes, until it begins to brown lightly around the edges. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack. Once it cools, lift the paper and beans out of the tart.
• Fill the shell with the sweet cherry compote to just below the level of the rim. Return the tart to the oven and bake 1 hour, until the cherries darken to a deep ruby red. Let the tart cool 15 minutes before cutting.
• Slice the tart into wedges, and serve with scoops of almond ice cream.
• Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and, using a paring knife, scrape the seeds and pulp into a medium saucepan. Add the vanilla pod, sugar, and 1/4 cup water. Over medium heat, cook the mixture, without stirring, until it's caramelized to an amber color. Once it begins to brown, you can swirl the pot a little to get the caramel to color evenly.
• While the sugar is caramelizing, stir 1 tablespoon water into the cornstarch (this is called a "slurry" and will help thicken the fruit juices).
• When the sugar is an amber brown, add the cherries, and swirl the pan again. Add the grappa, turn the flame down, and let the cherries simmer a few minutes, until they have softened. (The caramel will seize up and harden at first; don't worry, it will remelt.) Strain the cherries over a bowl, return the liquid to the pot, and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Whisk the cornstarch slurry into the liquid and bring it back to a boil once again, stirring often. Cook a few more minutes, until thickened. Transfer the cherries to the bowl, pour the liquid over them, and stir to combine. Let cool completely.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Toast the almonds on a baking sheet in the oven 10 to 12 minutes, until they darken slightly and smell nutty. When they've cooled, chop the nuts coarsely.
• Place 1 1/2 cups of the chopped almonds in a medium saucepan, and pour in the milk and cream. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Turn off the heat, cover, and let the flavors infuse for about 30 minutes.
• Bring the mixture back to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat.
• Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together in a bowl. Whisk a few tablespoons of the warm cream mixture into the yolks to temper them. Slowly, add another 1/4 cup or so of the warm cream, whisking to incorporate. At this point, you can add the rest of the cream mixture in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly. Pour the mixture back into the pot and return to the stove.
• Add the almond extract, and cook the custard over medium heat 6 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently with a rubber spatula, scraping the bottom and sides of the pan. The custard will thicken, and when it's done will coat the back of the spatula. Strain the mixture, and chill at least 2 hours in the refrigerator. Process in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions and, when it's done, stir in the remaining almonds.
• You can make the crust and line the tart shell the day before, and chill overnight. The sweet cherry compote can also be made the day before.

TOASTED ALMOND AND CANDIED CHERRY ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Warm the milk, sugar, salt, and 1 cup (250 ml) of the cream in a medium saucepan. Finely chop 1 cup (135 g) of the almonds and add them to the warm milk. Cover, remove from the heat, and let steep at room temperature for 1 hour.
• Strain the almond-infused milk into a separate medium saucepan. Press with a spatula or squeeze with your hands to extract as much flavor from the almonds as possible. Discard the almonds.
• Rewarm the almond-infused milk. Pour the remaining 1 cup (250 ml) cream into a large bowl and set a mesh strainer on top. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.
• Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the cream. Stir in the almond extract and stir until cool over an ice bath.
• Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. During the last few minutes of churning, add the remaining 1 cup (135 g) chopped almonds. When you remove the ice cream from the machine, fold in the chopped cherries.
• Perfect Pairings
• Try layering this ice cream with Fudge Ripple (page 210) for Almond, Cherry, and Chocolate Ice Cream, or add Dark Chocolate Truffles (page 211) or Stracciatella (page 210) instead.